Octavia Spencer
Octavia Lenora Spencer (born May 25, 1970) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Minny, the outspoken maid in the 2011 film The Help, for which she won many accolades for. She portrays Nurse Jackson on Red Band Society. Early Life Born in Montgomery, Alabama, she is the sixth of seven children. Her mother worked as a maid. Spencer graduated from Jefferson Davis High School in 1988, she then spent two years at Auburn Montgomery studying drama (1988–89), and received a bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts from Auburn University. Career At 16, she worked as an intern on the set of The Long Walk Home, a film starring Whoopi Goldberg. Spencer made her film debut as a nurse in Joel Schumacher's A Time to Kill based on the book by John Grisham. She was originally hired to work on casting, but asked Schumacher if she could audition for a small part. Other film credits include: Never Been Kissed, Big Momma's House, Bad Santa, Spider-Man, Coach Carter, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! and Pretty Ugly People. She has made a number of guest appearances on television series including Raising the Bar, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Big Bang Theory, Wizards of Waverly Place, Grounded for Life, ER, Titus, Becker'' and Dharma & Greg. She is best known for her starring roles as Serenity Johnson on Comedy Central's Halfway Home, and Constance Grady, the amorous INS caseworker on Ugly Betty.'' In 2003, she made her stage debut in Los Angeles, in Del Shores' play, The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife, starring opposite veteran actress Beth Grant. It was her first and only play, as she told Back Stage Magazine that she suffers from "stage fright." Later that year, she starred opposite Allison Janney in Tate Taylor's critically lauded short feature, Chicken Party. In 2008, Spencer's brief appearance in Seven Pounds as Kate, Rosario Dawson's home care nurse, garnered her high praise and media attention. In April 2009, Entertainment Weekly listed Spencer in its list of 25 Funniest Actresses in Hollywood. In August 2009, Spencer appeared in Rob Zombie's Halloween II. She also had a role in the American remake of the Danish classic Love at First Hiccup opposite Scout Taylor-Compton. Spencer starred in the hit web series-turned feature film Herpes Boy alongside Beth Grant, Ahna O'Reilly, and Byron Lane; and, can be heard as the voice of "Minny" on the audio version of The Help, the "New York Times Best Seller" by Kathryn Stockett. Later that year, Spencer's short film The Captain was honored by the CICFF as a finalist for the coveted REEL Poetry Award. In August 2010, Spencer joined Viola Davis, Emma Stone and Bryce Dallas Howard in DreamWorks' production of The Help, in which she played the feisty and unflappable domestic Minny Jackson. The film was directed by Tate Taylor, and produced by Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan, and Mark Radcliffe. Her role garnered her critical acclaim, and started talk of various awards nominations. She won the 2012 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture for her work in The Help. On February 12, 2012, she won a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for her Performance in The Help, and on February 26 she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the same performance; making it her first Oscar nomination and first win. Spencer was so thrilled to win that she could hardly speak at the ceremony and was given a standing ovation and was moved to tears during her acceptance speech. In June 2012, Spencer was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2013, she appeared alongside Michael B. Jordan in Fruitvale Station, a film chronicling the last day of Oscar Grant, who was killed at a Bay Area Rapid Transit station in 2009. In September 2013 it was announced that she would reunite with The Help director Tate Taylor in a biopic on singer James Brown. In January 2014, it was announced that plans for Spencer to appear as the lead in a remake of Murder, She Wrote had been cancelled. In May 2014, it was announced that Spencer would play the supporting role of Johanna Reyes in the second installment of the Divergent series, titled The Divergent Series: Insurgent, which is scheduled to release on 20 March 2015. Filmography Film Awards and Recognition Gallery Octavia_Spencer_Ciara_Bravo_Red_Band_Society_RofuqluBpuMl.jpg wholecast.jpg Octavia-Spencer-Red-Band-Society-Special-Screening-Tom-Lorenzo-Site-TLO-1.jpg Octavia-spencer-joins-red-band-society-cast-at-special-l-a-screening-01.jpg 7df542a626f300d1_octavia-spencer.xxxlarge_0.jpg michael-b-jordan-octavia-spencer-fruitvale-station-la-screening-05.jpg octaviaspencer.jpg octavia-spencer.png Octavia-Spencer-717x1024.jpg octavia-spencer-amfar-3rd-annual-inspiration-gala-01.jpg Octavia-Spencer-Headshot_Photo-Credit-Randee-St-Nicholas.jpg oscars-octavia-spencer.jpg tumblr_n8wnlqNx0G1rvk4rxo1_250.jpg tumblr_n8wnlqNx0G1rvk4rxo2_250.jpg tumblr_n8wnlqNx0G1rvk4rxo4_250.jpg 3144.JPG Octavia+Spencer+FOX+Programming+Presentation+NyJ1uf2zmBZl.jpg BndbgR-IUAAYaSU.jpg red-band-society-atlanta-screening-04.jpg red-band-society (1).jpg Dave+Annable+Red+Band+Society+Screening+LA+1tl2601xNAwl.jpg 135862_0322_a_p.jpg CastGroup-12.png Nolan&Octavia-1.png CastGroup-11.png CastGroup-10.png CastGroup-8.png CastGroup-7.png References *Wikipedia Category:Actors Category:Main Cast